Memory Jar
by andthearrowflies
Summary: Just a collection of one-shots, generally Spitfire, about a thousand words or less. Because, in the end, it's these insignificant moments in time that define who we are and what we become. MOST RECENTLY: If there is one thing Jade is known for, it's leaving. But maybe she can also take.
1. Partners In Crime

"Artemis," murmured Zatanna one day after combat training, "Kid Flash over there is totally staring at your _ass_."

Unfortunately Artemis had just taken a huge gulp of water, and suddenly she was hunched over, choking on the liquid whose confusion as to what pipe to go down surely had nothing to do with what Zatanna had just said. Her eyes swam and she found one hand traveling to her throat. As if choking herself would solve the problem of her being unable to breathe.

"Impossible," she croaked eventually, managing to straighten her spine.

"He is," said Zatanna again with a cool sort of certainty. "Robin's talking to him and he's not even paying - oh, I think he knows I'm on to him, he's looking away now."

No, she corrected herself, choking herself was her body's way to _escape_ from Zatanna, and her ridiculous, incessant urge to talk about Wally and his nonexistent crush on Artemis.

M'gann, who had a knack of arriving just as the conversation reached things Artemis _knew_ her Martian friend wouldn't let her forget, drifted over. "Are we talking about Wally?" Artemis shook her head vehemently, no, just as Zatanna responded with a cheerful "Yes!" The blonde glared at her, sighing with exasperation. This whole _Wally-is-in-love-with-Artemis-let's-talk-about-twenty-four-seven_ thing was getting old more quickly than the Kid Idiot himself could eat a whole pizza. Because first of all, it was completely inaccurate. Sure, they had their moments, but they definitely were not Play A Celine Dion song moments, or anything like that. It was small things, little, meaningless things. Like him saving her the last cookie because he knew she _loved _snickerdoodles. Or her getting him that dumb science kit he wanted for Christmas because _she_ knew that his parents wouldn't buy for him because of an incident he fondly referred to as "The Hydrochloric Acid Disaster". That was it. Things that didn't mean anything.

Secondly, her friends' preoccupation with their relationship that Artemis had to be extremely cautious whenever she so much as looked in Wally's direction. One nice word too many and she would have M'gann and Zatanna analyzing every breath she took and announcing the wedding date (yeah, right) to the entire Team _and _the Justice League. The two of them perceiving Wally's zoned out gaze as him checking Artemis out was little short of a catastrophe.

"He was staring at her butt," said Zatanna proudly.

M'gann snickered. "It's getting out of hand. Last mission, he could barely concentrate -"

"M'gann!" Artemis glowered at her best friend, now turned traitor. "I thought we decided we would _forget__ it_."

"I can't forget _true __love_," said M'gann, half joking and half completely giddy over the mere thought.

"At the very least, he appreciates your finely toned ass," said Zatanna. She sighed. "I wish Robin would stare at my ass that way."

"You do have a great butt, Zatanna," said M'gann helpfully.

"Guys," said Artemis. Her face was so warm, it could have provided heating for all of Mount Justice. "This entire conversation is completely irrelevant, because a, Wally has no interest in me whatsoever, and b -"

"He's staring again," commentated Zatanna. "_Jesus_, Wally. For a member of a covert ops team, he sure isn't subtle."

M'gann nudged Artemis, winking conspiratorially. "Oh, Wally!" she called in a sing-song voice. "Are you -"

"Shut up!" hissed Artemis. Her two friends dissolved into giggles. Across the room, Wally had frozen just as he was about to take a sip from his water bottle. To Artemis's absolute horror, he jogged over towards him, a smile on his face that almost looked embarrassed. As if he _had_ something to be embarrassed about, which he _did_ not, because he had _not_ been checking her out!

"What's shaking, ladies?" he said, with a forced wink at M'gann. "Did you see how quickly I took out your boyfriend, Megs? I was on fire today."

"Hmm," Zatanna hummed. "That's not all we saw you do."

"Zatanna!" Artemis had to clench her fists to physically restrain herself from either punching Zatanna square in the jaw or hiding her own face in her hands. Or perhaps both. It was so idiotic. She reminded herself, Wally is not in love with her, and will never be, and most certainly was not staring at her butt, and even if he was, it was just because he was zoning out or something else as equally stupid.

Wally narrowed his eyes at them, although Artemis couldn't miss the sudden color in his face. Like he'd been called out on something. She gritted her teeth. Screw him, he was making it so much harder for her to deny Zatanna and M'gann claims! "Uh... I assume this is one of those conversations girls have where I'm just here to prove a point?"

"I suggest you run," said Artemis as lightly as she could manage.

Wally took a step back, nervously. "Is that a joke or for 'realsies'?" he asked, making quotation marks with his fingers. She let out a short breath through her nose, annoyed. For _realsies_? What was he, a tween girl from 2004? What a moron.

"We just want to know if anything has caught your eye recently," said M'gann casually. "Like you know, video games, girls -"

"A certain someone's butt," added Zatanna. Artemis groaned. She actually hid her face in her hands this time.

"Uh," replied Wally intelligently. "Uh." She peeked through her fingers. Wally was rubbing the back of his neck, his face a shade of red so bright it actually was clashing with his ridiculous costume. Why couldn't he just hit on M'gann or something, be cheeky to Zatanna, do anything that would convince her stupid friends he hadn't been totally staring at her ass?

"See?" said Zatanna triumphantly. "We were right!"

"Wait a minute," said Wally quickly, even though they all knew it was too late for him to possibly change their minds. "I didn't even say -"

"Bye, Wally!" said M'gann sweetly, waving to him. He opened his mouth like he was going argue again, then sighed, deflated. Clearly he understood the stubborness that was M'gann and Zatanna. "Okay, bye..." he muttered. He walked away, hurrying to catch up with Connor and Kaldur, casting confused glances at them as he went. Artemis waited until he was out of earshot before she whirled around, seething.

"Do you guys hate me or something?" she demanded. Zatanna smirked, evidently very satisfied with herself. Worse than that, the Martian beside her had a _dreamy_ look on her face, biting her lip. While Zatanna at least was doing this as a sort of joke, to torture Artemis, M'gann honestly believed that a certain speedster and archer would be an actual cute couple. It made said archer want to gag. "That _moron_ is gonna think that whole _interrogation_ or whatever was my idea, that I -" She quickly stopped talking, before her so called _friends_ could get any ideas. Any _wrong_ ideas, she should probably add.

"As if you weren't totally excited by the fact that he was checking you out," said Zatanna, rolling her eyes. She shook her head at M'gann, mouthing "kids." M'gann laughed.

"I'm not -" Artemis cut herself off again, huffing angrily. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Will Wally be joining you?" asked M'gann innocently.

"Just remember, anything you say can and _will_ be used against you," added Zatanna.

Artemis chose to remain silent.

* * *

_Just a dumb little drabble about Wally and Artemis. I'm still in mourning over this show being over, and I just love Wally West and his butt thief ways. _

_Please review! I'm new to the YJ fandom, so if I need some help keeping my characters in, well, character, please don't hesitate to let me know! Favorite and follow if you like this - I'm working on some other Young Justice fics and so yeah. :D_


	2. (Your) Dirty Mind

"Artemis, Wally… we need to talk."

The blonde archer raised her eyebrows, pushing herself into a sitting position on the couch and turning off the television. Wally was in the kitchen, currently making who _knows_ what in a blender. When M'gann spoke, he lifted his finger from the blender's ON button, silencing the machine.

"Finally," said Artemis. "I couldn't hear the TV. What was it you guys needed?"

M'gann opened her mouth to reply, and then hesitated, turning to the rest of the team. Kaldur didn't look at her, staring straight ahead with a sort of rigidity that was almost _nervous_. Kaldur didn't _get_ nervous. Connor shook his head violently. Only Robin appeared at ease, grinning impishly at M'gann.

"What's going on?" asked Wally, walking over to her with a weird greyish red, soupy beverage in a glass. He sat down on the couch next to her. "Do you want some?"

"I don't know, and obviously _not_." Artemis wrinkled her nose. "What is even in that?"

"Babe, if I told you, I'd have to kill you," joked Wally, throwing an arm around her.

"As if you could take me," she scoffed, leaning against him.

"Okay," said M'gann suddenly. Some of her confidence seemed to have come back. Glancing at the three teammates behind her, she began to speak, slowly, "We, the Team, have a… um, a complaint. Against you guys."

"About what?" demanded Artemis. She pushed herself up, instantly on edge.

"Don't think of it as a complaint," said Robin, and she narrowed her eyes at the snickers he was trying very hard to contain. "It's… more of a _plaint_."

"All right…" said Wally warily. "What is it?"

"Um…" Again, M'gann looked at Kaldur, but he still would not meet her eyes. "Do I _really _- urgh, fine!" She looked up at the ceiling, avoiding their gaze. "The Team feels that - well, we know that your… your _relationship _is important to you, and all, and we respect that, but… uh… in missions, it's not exactly… um, _appropriate -_"

"What she's trying to say is to stop hitting on each other in her head," snapped Connor.

It got very quiet, save for Robin's cackling. Artemis waited for the punchline, the "Hey, April Fools!", but none came. Connor, embarrassed at his outburst, was staring at his feet. M'gann's cheeks were bright red. Kaldur's arms were crossed, and he still refused to meet their eyes, although she thought she saw him glance at them very briefly a few times, as if he was waiting for them to explode. The whole scene reminded her of a middle school dance, and Artemis found herself biting back the urge to laugh at their scandalized expressions.

After a few minutes, Wally said thoughtfully, "Does this have anything to do with last week, when we -"

"Yes," said M'gann firmly.

Artemis chewed her lip. "And when I -"

"Yes."

"What about in Gotham a few days ago, when -"

"_Yes_," said M'gann, shuddering. "Especially that one. Ew. _Ew_."

Wally laughed to himself and held out a hand, which Artemis hi-fived gladly.

"Just," said Kaldur, speaking finally, "keep your intimate thoughts about your relationship to yourselves."

"Please," added Connor, almost begging. "If I see one more -"

"All _right_," sighed Artemis, holding out her hands in surrender. "We will try to be more _appropriate_."

"Scout's honor," said Wally, crossing his heart, still laughing.

Neither of them said anything until the room had cleared out, their friends too mortified to stay in the room any longer. Eventually, Wally yawned, wrapping his arm around her again. She snuggled against him. "That was embarrassing," she said softly, stretching out her legs and kicking his foot with her own.

"For us or for them?" he quipped.

She smirked. "Them, obviously."

Wally picked up his "smoothie" from the coffee table and taking a huge swig. "Man, radishes and ice cream really go well together."

"You're disgusting," she informed him congenially.

"I'm not the one who's dating me," he pointed out. His logic was invalid, but not completely. Artemis let it slide. "But anyway, here's the real question: are we going to listen to them, or are we going to -"

"Only if you brush your teeth."

He gave her a dirty look. "Why do you have to do that? You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Were you going to suggest that we have sex so on the next mission we can thoroughly mortify our friends as revenge?" she said innocently.

Wally opened his mouth, then closed it, his facial features forming a sheepish expression. "Okay, so you knew what I was going to say." He paused. "Do I really need to brush my teeth?"

"Let me see." Artemis took the glass of thick red liquid from his hand, and cautiously took a sniff. She made a face. "Oh, yeah. You _definitely _need to brush your teeth. Twice. And then you need a mint. "

"But -"

She craned her neck, reaching up to bring her lips to his earlobe. She smiled at how he shivered under her touch, and she was sure it wasn't just the fact that her skin was so much colder than his. "_Wally_," she breathed.

He brushed his teeth.

* * *

_Sorry, this is just a dumb little thing I thought of, because I feel like Artemis and Wally are immediately this very open couple and I think Wally especially would get a kick out of making his friends uncomfortable and yeah._

_as always, please review with what you think - I've just gotten back into writing and so I'm sort of still getting used to it and just yeah._


	3. And One And Two And

_Set the Mood: Listen to the **The Violet Hour by The Civil Wars** while reading this. Enjoy!_

* * *

When she finds out, the first person she calls is Dick.

It's a strange choice, and another Artemis would've been skeptical. Another Artemis would've called M'gann, or Zatanna, or perhaps her mother. Maybe even her sister, although that's a long shot. Jade hadn't told her that she had a _child_ until it became convenient for Jade to do so.

The person she should really be telling is Wally. But that's largely impossible due to the fact that he is largely dead.

Dick, when he arrives, finds her at the kitchen table. He doesn't knock. He stopped knocking a few weeks ago, when these meetings started to occur regularly. Sometimes at her apartment in Palo Alto, sometimes at Wayne Manor back in Gotham City, a typical day consisted of both of them watching Wally's favorite movies, throwing things out, and getting shit-faced drunk.

But this time there is no beer on the counter, beer she buys specifically for these sessions with Dick, and no DVD is by the television. This time, she sits at the table and she waits with her head in her hands, trying to calm her breathing. She counts to four as she breathes in, and then counts to four as she breathes out, and it works for a few moments, but then she starts _thinking_ and before she knows it she's at _breathe in one, breathe out one, breathe in one, breathe out one –_

Dick says nothing as he sits down across from her, only placing a hand on her shoulder, his thumb finding her bone and rubbing it gently. She's immensely grateful for this, for no "What's wrong?" or "It'll be okay". This is why she calls Dick. He understands better than anyone else does. Everyone lost Wally, but Artemis _lost_ Wally, and aches for him, and for every breath he will not take now nor ever, Artemis feels her lungs freeze over and snap in half.

And the only person in the world whose grief is as uniquely torturous as hers is Dick. She sees it in the way his eyes glaze over, or in the way his silences are no longer pleasant, but weary. She sees it in the way he sobs, hunched over in her kitchen, fueled by pain and alcohol, pain so strong it makes him garble words he made up not by choice but by desperation, and alcohol so strong he can't remember the words in the morning. And she mirrors his every move and the two of them are alone in a world does not understand what it is like to _lose _Wally. This is why she needs him so badly. He doesn't try to care of her, like everyone else does, or pretends he isn't hurting. Being able to see and touch his pain makes it far easier to bear her own.

Of course she called Dick.

"What's the plan?" he says after a few moments of rhythmic shoulder rubbing and off-beat breathing. "Is this a Get Drunk As Hell day or Attempt To Be Productive day?" Every so often, when she calls him, there is no alcohol. Instead, she has a list full of mundane tasks that have been become unfairly difficult now that Wally is no longer making them difficult for her. On those days, groceries are bought, beds are made, and papers are written. They're written poorly, but they're written.

_Breathe normally_, she instructs herself angrily. _One, two, three, four. Out, two three, four. In, two, three, out, two, three, in, two, out, two, in two, out two, intwo, outtwo - _"Neither. I… it's a Comfort Artemis Because She's Having A Panic Attack day."

He detracts his hand. Comfort isn't a familiar area for either of them. "Um… feel better. Life goes on, I guess. Just not for Wally. Shit… Um, but do not despair! For… the sun will come out tomorrow?" The attempt is half-assed and she expected nothing else.

Nevertheless, the result is what she was craving and expected. Two negatives make a positive, and while she isn't happy, she finds herself able to breathe at a less concerning pace. _In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four._ "Actually, I think it's supposed to rain tomorrow."

"Well," says Dick, but he doesn't really have a witty comeback. Not anymore. She looks up at him. His sunglasses are on the table, his blue eyes only wearing heavy bags. She wants to iron them out with her finger, but instead she rests her chin in her hands.

Eventually, he speaks again. "Just for kicks and giggles, I'll play along. Is there a reason for the panic attack? Besides the usual suspect."

"He's the reason, but not really the _reason_," she said lamely.

"Great," he mumbles. "That's so much clear –"

"I'm pregnant."

"-er," he ekes out. He is finishing his sentence from before she somewhat rudely interrupted him, but it comes across as a noise choked out from the back of his throat. She glances at him quickly, then back down at a crack on the table. The shock on his face is enough to hide the exhaustion, at least for a moment, and she is reminded for a moment of a particularly _asterous _thirteen year old boy.

"No need to rush to congratulate me," she mutters when he doesn't say anything. Not that she is actually expecting any congratulations.

"How –"

"What, didn't Batman give you the Talk?" she snaps. She doesn't look at him.

"I was actually gonna ask how far along you are," he sniffs. "And _yes_, he did. My fourteenth birthday? Not my favorite."

She manages a short laugh, and takes a shuddering breath. "Wally and I… after the summit, before the whole final mission, or whatever, we came home… there were balloons, and a fricking _cake_, and everything. You do the math."

Dick allows himself a dry smile. "Math done. That was… shit, the two month anniversary is in like two days. Um, okay, so two months. Okay. Are you –"

"No," she says quietly, and finally she meets his eyes. Her panic is starting to overtake her, and she feels in her throat, clawing at her tongue and teeth, begging to get out. "Dick," she whispers. "I – what am I going to do? I can't do this, I could've barely have done this if Wally was _here_, but he isn't, and he'll never know… oh, God, Dick, how am I supposed to be a _mother_..."

"I'll help," he promises after a beat. "With - with whatever."

"I don't need your _money_," she snaps.

He straightens up in the kitchen chair. "That's not what I meant, Artemis, and you know it," he says icily.

She exhales heavily. _And breathe in, two, three, four_. _Breathe out, two, three, four_. "Right. I know, I'm sorry. I'm an ass." He doesn't bother to correct her.

Neither of them brings up the possibility of putting the baby up for adoption. Because it just _isn't _a possibility. Because, despite the fact that she isn't ready to be a parent, and she isn't ready to be a parent to a child who will never have a father, she can't give up the last piece of Wally she will ever have. Oh, _God, _Wally...

_Breathe in, two, three, four, breathe out two three, breathein, breatheout,in,out,inout -_

"Artemis!" Hands are on either side of her face, and for a wild moment she lets her imagination pretend it's Wally, but it's not, it's Dick and it will always be, because at least she'll always have Dick, except that's what she thought about Wally, and that's what she thought about her father, and both of those assumptions turned out to be false...

"It'll be okay," he says, and he is no longer Dick Grayson, but Nightwing, and she can just see where the cowl fits perfectly on his face. "It can't get any worse than this, right? _It will be okay_."

"I thought you and I don't do that _comforting_ crap,"she mutters.

"We do if it's true."

They don't get drunk that day (she realizes later she has lost that escape, at least for nine months), but they watch _The Blind Side_, because it was on TV and they didn't know how Wally felt about that movie so it couldn't hurt. And they fall asleep together on the couch, and in sleep, her breathing finally slows.

* * *

Hi, sorry I haven't updated in a while! I got distracted with life. Im rewatching Young Justice right now and its so painful because my little brother - it's his first time - doesn't know Wally's fate yet... sobbing. Anywho, this I wrote because I think Dick and Artemis's relationship is so interesting, and how Wally's death would bring them so close together, and I feel like, if she had been pregnant, Dick would've ended up being the weird uncle/father figure to her son (yes, in my mind, she has a son, and his name is Archie). Also, I wrote this because I had this headcannon that they'd managed to bring Wally back from wherever he was and he'd come back and find Artemis pregnant and they'd be a real family... but apparently Greg Vietti has said that Wally is actually deceased, as in dead, not stuck in the speed force or whatever So. Excuse me while I die a bit.

Anyway, I will try to update soon! Please, leave reviews and tell me how I'm doing! Thanks lovelies :)


	4. Magician's Box

**sorry for being so m.i.a., everyone - the play I was in has finally ended (it was a really rough show experience for me and I am very glad it is over). I didn't realise I had finished writing this until I found it, complete, in my huge word document full of unfinished drabbles. BUT I am currently working on a full-length college au based on a song that is _completely_ Artemis and Wally, so stay tuned ;)**

**The lyrics are from the song "When Your Mind's Made Up" from Once, which I **_**HIGHLY**_**reccomend listening to while reading this. It's a beautifully raw song and I love it and all of you should as well.**

* * *

_so, if you ever want something_

_and you call, call_

_then i'll come running_

If there is one thing Jade is known for, it is leaving.

Anyone who knows her would agree. Her assassin's identity is not Cheshire just because of the faded poster that still hangs in a Gotham City apartment, splattered with stains and peeling edges. Jade is notorious for disintegrating, for slinking into the shadows without warning. She _adores_ it. Roy is married to a disappearing act. Paula gave birth to one. Artemis spent her prepubescent years alone in a room, with clenched muscles and kicks aimed at the empty bed, wondering why people had to be _not here_.

It looks like Lian's childhood was heading in the same direction.

Unlike her own mother, whose inner demons had all been manifestations of the guilt of staying in "The Life" while there were children to take care of, Jade feels no qualms about donning the old mask minutes after lulling her baby to sleep. Especially, Artemis thinks bitterly to herself, since there was _always_ an available babysitter.

Artemis sits in the armchair closest to the door, her legs crossed and head resting on her hand, and watches as her niece mercilessly beats her little meaty hands against her boyfriend's chest. Wally attempts to restrain her, holding an old dog toy in one hand as a sort of distraction, but Lian is much too smart for that. Her laugh is one of pure joy as she socks him again and again near the heart.

"I am concerned about your sister's parenting methods," he says grumpily, and Artemis half-smiles in agreement. His eyes, sharp green and lined with bags, eye Lian suspiciously. "The baby thinks she's Rocky Balboa or something."

"Mmm," she says. She isn't really paying attention. Her gaze keeps landing on the black duffel bag that sits on the center of the kitchen table. It's mostly full, but with enough empty space so that when she kicked it after setting it down in the house, her foot hit a solid chunk of nothing. There is now a concave corner; she'd been too miffed to set it right again.

"Yo, Artemis!" She blinks, and slowly looks back at Wally. His sorry excuse for a film reference is unfortunately lost on her. She's never seen Rocky (in the next month, he will force her to watch the entire series at least three times). He looks like he is going to make a joke, but he sees the tired lines and the heaviness of her head and his crack falls flat before it reaches his lips. "Could you… could you check the bag for a toy or something?" he asks lamely. "I hurt."

Artemis laughs in spite of her sister (well, the absence of her sister is what is really bothering her), covering her mouth, at how pitiful he sounds. "Wally," she coos. She stands up, slowly, pushing herself up with her palms, and walks to the kitchen table. The bag has a stuck zipper which she struggles with for a few seconds, and she realizes with a thud somewhere in her chest that this is the very bag that carried old band t-shirts and a toothbrush stolen from the dentist's office and everything that was ever _Jade_ out the scratched threshold of their Gotham City childhood home twelve years ago. She stiffens but grits her teeth and ignores the shadow of a memory in her mind and, with a tremendous tug, opens the bag.

_Its name was Froggy, despite the fact that it was a stuffed brown bear, and not an amphibian. Froggy had appeared on her pillow on a particularly muggy August night when she was eight and a half. The day had been the color of pomegranites and she remembered standing there, on the roof, crying and shaking as she pulled her arrow back. It had hit its target, of course. Her dad had never claimed responsibility for the gift, but until she was nine and Froggy disappeared while she was at school, she would cradle Froggy to her chest and remind herself that he loved her a whole plush toy much._

"Froggy," she breathes, and her hand travels up to her lips as she lifts the plush toy from the depths of the bag. It is faded and it smells vaguely like cat pee. One of his legs is missing. His ear has a large gash in it. But it's Froggy. Its _her _Froggy, from more than a decade ago, from a childhood that is shaped like a scabbing scar that currently rests on her back, long and jagged.

Across the room, Lian catches sight of Froggy and stops pounding Wally in order to stretch out her little arms towards her aunt, her face splitting into an even wider grin than when she was inflicting physical pain on someone else. "Oggy!" she garbles out. And she says some other stuff too, all in pleasantly melodic baby gibberish, but _Oggy_ is all that matters.

Like a dream, Artemis hands her childhood to the baby sitting in the lap of the only person whom she could ever see taking care of a baby with, and if doesn't pay too much attention to the context, it feels like a scrapbook worthy family moment.

When she asks her sister about it, Cheshire arches her eyebrows and smiles in the snide, mysterious way that makes Artemis want to scream. But Jade glances down at the daughter in her arms, the child a product of _not leaving_, and murmurs, "I'm not a great packer. Sometimes… I forget stuff."

And Artemis no longer cares that Froggy disappeared. He came back in the end, after all. Disappearing acts have a knack for coming back.

_to fight, and i'll be at your door_

_when there's nothing worth running for_


End file.
